Can influenza vaccination reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s? :shot

Several lines of evidence suggest that two common vaccines against respiratory disease may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists say more intensive research will be needed to quantify how much brain protection they provide.

Temba Hadebe / AP

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Temba Hadebe / AP

Several lines of evidence suggest that two common vaccines against respiratory disease may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists say more intensive research will be needed to quantify how much brain protection they provide.

Temba Hadebe / AP

For years, public health authorities mythology People who have been vaccinated against influenza are more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease.

is not. And now there is evidence that vaccines that prevent influenza and pneumonia may actually protect people from Alzheimer’s disease.

Evidence comes from two studies published this Monday. Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Is held as a virtual event.

“We always knew that vaccines were very important to our overall health,” he says. Maria Carrillo, Chief Scientific Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association. “And maybe they even help protect our memory, our perceptions, our brains.”

The first study was by a team at the University of Texas who examined millions of medical records in the national database. The goal was to find factors that affect a person’s risk of developing certain illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease.

“And one of the things that came back was vaccination against the flu,” says Albert Amrun, a medical student and study author at McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston.

That seemed strange. Amran and a team of researchers have scrutinized the medical records of about 9,000 people over the age of 60. Some were vaccinated against seasonal flu. Some did not.

“we [tried] This is to ensure that both groups have the same amount of smoking status, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, for example. “Amran says. The number of prescriptions a person has received to make sure that the person who received the vaccine is not only healthy overall, but was not.

Next, researchers looked at who was most likely to be diagnosed with the disease.

Amran says those who received at least one flu shot had a 17% reduction in risk. And those who received regular vaccinations saw their risk fall by another 13%.

“More vaccination meant less Alzheimer’s disease,” says Amrun.

The degree of brain benefit may vary

However, he warns that the amount of benefits from flu vaccination may vary by group of people.

“It has a protective effect,” he says. “how A lot It is something that needs to be quantified in a more intensive study. “

Still, the results were amazing, says Dr. Paul Schulz, Director of Neurocognitive Disorders Center in McGovern.

“Well, to get these guys out and say [Alzheimer’s] It was exactly the opposite of what we all thought,” Schulz says.

He was surprised Vaccines are prone to inflammation when they stimulate the immune system. And in Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation is part of the problem, he says.

“There are situations here that are deliberately inflamed and some people are doing well,” Schulz says.

The second study examined the effects of both influenza and pneumonia vaccines on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Teams at Duke University and the University of North Carolina have examined more than 5,000 medical records at least 65 years old.

People who received the pneumonia vaccine before age 75 say they are at least 25% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease Svetlana Ukraine Seva, Associate Professor of Biodemography at the Aging Research Unit of the Duke Institute of Social Sciences.

“Pneumonia vaccination seems to protect older people,” she says.

However, in this study, giving influenza vaccines in addition to pneumonia vaccines did not reduce the risk further, says Ukraintseva.

What is behind the brain protection

Scientists don’t know why vaccination can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. But Previous research Implied connection. And there are some potential explanations.

One is that the vaccine may be defensive, as two diseases that the influenza and pneumonia vaccines are designed to prevent are known to affect the brain.

“Every time one of these infections occurs, we may challenge our memory and thoughts,” Carrillo says. And studies suggest that these events may increase the risk to people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Another possibility is evidence linking Alzheimer’s disease to a general weakness of the immune system and changes that allow more bacteria and viruses to enter the brain.

“Therefore, if there are common means of improving immunity, it may help reduce Alzheimer’s disease,” says Ukraine Toseva.

Many vaccines, including those for influenza and pneumonia, may improve overall immunity, she says. Scientists are considering some other potential candidates, including vaccines Herpes virus And tuberculosis..